Dr. Andy V. Babwah, PhD


Children’s Health Research Institute
Scientist, Fetal and Newborn Health Program


Lawson Health Research Institute
Scientist, Children’s Health Research Institute


University of Western Ontario
Assistant Professor, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Physiology and Pharmacology


Contact Information
Tel: (519) 685 8500 Ext. 55485 (Off)
Fax: (519) 685-8616
E-mail: ababwah@uwo.ca


Brief Biography

Dr. Andy V. Babwah, the recipient of a US Fulbright Fellowship, received his Master of Science degree in Biology in 1993. During this period of training Dr. Babwah studied the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis in the highly virulent Staphylococcus aureus. He then pursued his doctorate in Biology at McGill University, where he developed novel genetic tools for genome analysis.

Upon completion of his PhD, he received The Canadian Hypertension/Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship to pursue postdoctoral training under the direction of Dr. Stephen S. G. Ferguson in the laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Cell Biology at the Robarts Research Institute, London, Ontario. During this period, Dr. Babwah’s research focused on better understanding the mechanisms that regulate the activity of the metabotropic glutamate receptors in the brain.


Dr. Babwah was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Physiology & Pharmacology and a Scientist at the CHRI in 2005.


Research Interests

• Biology of the gonadotropin releasing hormones and their receptors
• Human placentation
• Preimplantation embryo development
• Development of astrocytomas


Research Activities

Dr. Babwah’s research focuses on understanding the roles of the gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor (GnRH-R) in the preimplantation period of mammalian development and placentation, and to determine the effects of dysregulated receptor activity on these important processes. GnRH is a key regulator of the reproductive hormone cascade. Humans express two forms of this decapeptide hormone, GnRH-I and GnRH-II and their effects are mediated by GnRH-RI, a heptahelical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). To date, only one functional form of this receptor has been identified in man and, like its cognate ligands, it is expressed in multiple cell-types throughout the body; these include the anterior pituitary gonadotropes and placental cytotrophoblasts. Dr. Babwah uses various molecular and cellular techniques to study gene expression and protein-protein interactions in the cell. He also uses the laser scanning confocal microscope to visualize the spatial and temporal characteristics of fluorescently-tagged proteins in the living cell. Dr. Babwah’s research has been published in journals such as The Journal of Biological Chemistry and The Journal of Neuroscience.

 

Awards and Recognition

New Investigator Award - Awarded by Canadian Institute of Health Research in partnership with the Ontario Women’s Health Council and CIHR’s Institute of Gender and Health

 

Funding in support of "GnRH-regulated TFPI-2 expression in the human placenta" - Awarded by Lawson Health Research Institute

 

Funding in support of " GnRH-regulated TFPI-2 expression in the human placenta" - Awarded by Obstetrics and Gynaecology-Academic Enrichment Fund

 

Funding in support of " GnRH-RI activity during human placentation" - Awarded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research

 

Funding in support of "Molecular and Functional Analysis of Nuclear Membrane Localized GnRH-RI" - Awarded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

 

Funding in support of "Systematic evaluation of assisted reproduction" - Awarded by Canada Foundation for Innovation Infrastructure


Publications

  1. Iacob D, Cai J, Tsonis M, Babwah A, Chakraborty C, Bhattacharjee RN and Lala, PK. Decorin-mediated inhibition of proliferation and migration of the human trophoblast via different tyrosine kinase receptors. Endocrinology. 2008. In press
  2. Li Y, Arnold M, Pampillo M, Babwah A, Peng T.  Taurine prevents cardiomyocyte death by inhibiting NADPH oxidase-mediated calpain activation. Free Radical Biology & Medicine. 2008. In press
  3. Re M, Pampillo M, Camuso N, Cavanagh PC, Bhattacharya M, Babwah AV.  The human gonadotropin releasing hormone type I receptor is an intracellular GPCR strongly associated with the nuclear membrane.  Endocrinology. 2008. Under revision
  4. Li T, Alemayehu M, Aziziyeh IA, Pape MC, Pampillo M, Mills GB, Babwah AV, Bhattacharya M.  b-arrestins and RalGTPases regulate lysophosphatidic acid mediated breast cancer cell migration and invasion. Cancer Research. 2008. Submitted.
  5. Camuso N, Pampillo M, Bhattacharya M, Babwah AV.  Molecular regulation of GPR54 activity by GRK-2 and b-arrestins.  2008.  Manuscript in preparation.
  6. Cavanagh PC, Pampillo M, Kahiri C, Han V, Bhattacharya M, Babwah AV.  GnRH-Regulated Chemokine Expression in the Human Placenta.   Manuscript in preparation
  7. Pampillo M, Re M, Bhattacharya M, Babwah AV.  Activation of the human gonadotropin releasing hormone type I receptor stimulates cell type-specific PKC responses.  Manuscript in preparation
  8. Aziziyeh IA, Alemayehu M, Li T, Pape MC, Pampillo M, Possmayer F, Babwah AV, Bhattacharya M.  Regulation of lysophophatidic acid receptor signaling by small GTPases. Manuscript in preparation.
  9. Holmes K, Babwah AV, Dale LB, Ferguson SS (2006). Differential regulation of corticotrophin releasing factor 1ß receptor endocytosis and trafficking by ß-arrestins and RAB GTPases. Journal of Neurochemistry.
  10. Dhami GK, Babwah AV, Sterne-Marr R, Ferguson SS (2005). Phosphorylation-independent regulation of mGluR1 signaling requires GRK 2 binding to the second intracellular loop. Journal of Biological Chemistry 280:24420-24427.
  11. Bhattacharya M, Babwah AV (co-first author), Godin C, Anborgh PH, Dale LB, Ferguson SSG (2004). Ral and phospholipase D2-dependent pathway for constitutive metabotropic glutamate receptor endocytosis. The Journal of Neuroscience 24:8752-8761.
  12. Dale LB, Seachrist JL, Babwah AV, Ferguson SS (2004). Regulation of angiotensin II type 1A receptor intracellular retention, degradation and recycling by Rab5, Rab7 and Rab11 GTPases. Journal of Biological Chemistry 279:13110-13118.
  13. Babwah AV, Dale LB and Ferguson SSG (2003). Protein kinase C isoform-specific differences in the spatial-temporal regulation and decoding of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1a-stimulated second messenger responses. Journal of Biological Chemistry 278: 5419-5426.
  14. Dale LB, Babwah AV and Ferguson SSG (2002). Mechanisms of metabotropic glutamate receptor desensitization: role in the patterning of effector enzyme activation. Neurochemistry International 1241: 1-8.
  15. Bhattacharya M, Anborgh PH, Babwah AV, Dale LB, Dobransky T, Benovic JL, Feldman RD, Verdi JM, Rylett RJ and Ferguson SSG (2002). Beta-Arrestins regulate a Ral-GDS-Ral effector pathway that mediates cytoskeletal reorganization. Nature Cell Biology, 4:547-555.